Abbreviated perfume & fragrance reviews from one man's perspective

Tag Archives: pepper

1828 (Jules Verne) by Histoires de Parfums is a scent that when I first put it on, I knew I was going to love. Today was going to be a pretty spring day so I wanted to try something light. In looking at the composition, I thought this would be a perfect fit. The top notes are fantastic; citrus, grapefruit, eucalyptus…the perfect refreshing mix to get the day started. Nothing like a good zesty opening to put a spring in your step! After a bit, the citrus dissipated and out came a woody and peppery mix; still zesty, but the scent started moving into a more piney embodiment. I still was in awe. OK, sometimes, good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, 1828 moved into a direction in the end that didn’t agree with me. In the end, this fragrance just became sharp. Still woody, still piney, but something else left the scent, some bit of warmth, and it just became a bit annoying. I found this sharp and biting quality driving me to a headache. Can I just have the top notes back please??

You will notice that I have been reviewing a lot of amber scents as of late. Last month, I ordered a Men’s Amber sample pack from The Perfumed Court. If you’re not familiar with them, they offer decant service on an incredible variety of fragrances, including hard to find ones. But I digress. One of the samples that was part of this group was Ambre Soie. I was very excited to try this and found that I wasn’t disappointed. I found this to be an incredibly luxurious scent. Upon application, I was first greeted with a beautiful combination of ginger, pepper and spices. It then moved on to a lovely creamy and ethereal amber and patchouli. Ambre Soie is a very calming and elegant fragrance. I just wish I had more than what I have in my small vial. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to spray this gem on!

Amber’s voluptuousness and depth appealed to Giorgio Armani. He re-interpreted this rare olfactive essence using the light of wood and eastern spices. It is a blend of Cinnamon and Clove, a hint of Ginger which rustles on the waves of Patchouli. The light touch of spices and liquorice wood venture deliciously into the amber. More weighty: Artist and magician, Giorgio Armani transforms the amber into a golden fluid, silky and smooth, revealing the skin, the ultimate elegance of exposure. The top, inspired by the most sumptuous amber stone reveals its transparency with golden, coppery tones. Its warmth echoing its sensual and radiant energy.

When I first put this on, I wasn’t quite sure that I was going to be able to sit at my desk all day and put up with this scent. One of the downside of sampling is that sometimes you put on a scent and you feel trapped wearing it all day. Given that, the first thing you notice is the heavy pepper. Very spicy, and very dry. A very earthy scent. Again, not that it’s bad, it’s just that I tend to lean towards the ambers. However, as the day went on, I found myself lifting my wrist to get a whiff…after about an hour or so, I found myself doing this continuously. The scent mellowed to a very nice and calming smoky and woody scent, with just a tinge of sweetness. Very calming, clean and masculine. I found this to be a very complex and lasting fragrance. This turned out to be a great surprise and I can’t wait until the next time I put this on. I read that this is supposed to represent the “natural aromas of the California landscapes.” I can see that…and I’m ready to go.